Use http://todaysmeet.com/ for ideas, questions, thoughts (I like this; I'll never use this, etc.)
Once students sign in with their first names (only), it is a good idea to have each student check in with a roll call to double check that they had signed in with the “right” names. We had a few students who instead of typing their name in after the welcome screen already started typing a statement or a question addressed to another student.They had about five minutes to have unstructured chat time. I showed them to use @username if they were addressing or responding to a specific person.
It was also a good time to remind students, that everything they write “can and will be used against them”. All their comments are attributed to their username and tagged with the time that it was posted. If the teacher were to ask to please hold any comments at any point in time, any student who did not follow direction would be very clear.
While their teacher and I would be having a conversation about the topic of their Social Studies review, students were to:
Not speak aloud to anyone during our backchannel, communicate only via chat.
Listen to the conversation between the teachers
Summarize important facts that collaboratively would make up a study guide for the Social Studies test.
I explained to the students that we were using a backchannel for various reasons and that it would not be as easy as they might anticipate. They would have to practice multitasking
Listening
Reading the ongoing conversation
Writing a summarized comment
After the about 20 minute review, the 25 page long chat log that I saved and printed out, revealed the following:
keyboarding skills come in handy
some students randomly posted off topic comments and/or continued the conversation started in their “free” time at the beginning of class.
students posted repeated statements (did not follow the log by reading what had been posted previously)
Some students did not only posts incredible summarized comments, but also added great additions from their own background knowledge about the subject.
Students also added facts to the chat that had been previously mentioned in their classroom, but had not been repeated during the live conversation.
Students started using the backchannel to ask questions.
It was extremely important to go over the chat log with the students. I read it allowed without mentioning the names of the students. They knew anyway who had written what comment. I reminded them to listen for inappropriate and off-topic comments as well as to take notice of repeated comments. I made sure that I pointed out well written comments and congratulated their authors for contributing to the “collaborative study guide”. I feel that students have a better idea now what we expect of them and what kind of skills they are practicing.
We will give them more opportunities to use a backchannel in the classroom. Update (10/20/09):
Here is an excerpt of a post I wrote to let students’ parents know about our use of backchannel with their elementary age students:
Backchannel is the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks.
Backchannels are used more and more in the educational field, during face to face conferences and lectures, as well as virtual conversations. With smartphones and portable computers one can participate and contribute to a conversation, provide documentation and help facilitate by connecting others who are not present.
How were we going to adapt this concept to our elementary school classroom and students?
21st century skills demand that we prepare our children to communicate, collaborate and connect to each other, but also to information. Media and Information literacy are extremely important areas of integration to our current curriculum.
Using a private chatroom as the platform to practice all the above mentioned skills was to harness the students’ excitement for chatting as a means of communication, review material previously discussed in class and collaboratively compile and organize information.
Update (11/22/09):
I received an email from the teacher a few days after we reviewed for the Social Studies test with a backchannel. Mrs. Z wrote:
I am totally amazed. The kids took their Social Studies test on Friday and I have never seen such good papers! I am convinced the back channeling was a major factor.
Here are a few selected parts of the backchannel. There are in reverse chronological order. I removed the students’ name.
Timber was important, so they could build homes and ships
at 2:09 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
they would expor the timber to england
at 2:09 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
why did colonists work so hard they could have just given up
at 2:08 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
new england colonies were an extremely important natural resource
they would seal them with wax
at 2:07 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
they mailed lots of letters
at 2:07 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
it back in english
at 2:07 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
they didn’t use envelopes
at 2:07 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
No telephones they did not use onvolopes
Intro Videos Shift Happens Did You Know? Priceless Education Abbey is Pretty Demanding
Blogging Why Let Students Blog
Students Teachers
Wikis
Search Engines
Worthwhile Websites http://www.learnitin5.com/Archives Learn it in 5 is a powerful library of how-to videos, produced by technology teachers, for the purpose of helping teachers and students create classroom strategies for today's 21st century's digital classroom. These step-by-step how-to videos walk teachers through Web 2.0 technology, demonstrating how to use Web 2.0 applications like blogs, social networks, podcasts, interactive videos, wikis, slidesharing and much more.
Use http://todaysmeet.com/ for ideas, questions, thoughts (I like this; I'll never use this, etc.)
Once students sign in with their first names (only), it is a good idea to have each student check in with a roll call to double check that they had signed in with the “right” names. We had a few students who instead of typing their name in after the welcome screen already started typing a statement or a question addressed to another student.They had about five minutes to have unstructured chat time. I showed them to use @username if they were addressing or responding to a specific person.
It was also a good time to remind students, that everything they write “can and will be used against them”. All their comments are attributed to their username and tagged with the time that it was posted. If the teacher were to ask to please hold any comments at any point in time, any student who did not follow direction would be very clear.
While their teacher and I would be having a conversation about the topic of their Social Studies review, students were to:
- Not speak aloud to anyone during our backchannel, communicate only via chat.
- Listen to the conversation between the teachers
- Summarize important facts that collaboratively would make up a study guide for the Social Studies test.
I explained to the students that we were using a backchannel for various reasons and that it would not be as easy as they might anticipate. They would have to practice multitasking- Listening
- Reading the ongoing conversation
- Writing a summarized comment
After the about 20 minute review, the 25 page long chat log that I saved and printed out, revealed the following:- keyboarding skills come in handy
- some students randomly posted off topic comments and/or continued the conversation started in their “free” time at the beginning of class.
- students posted repeated statements (did not follow the log by reading what had been posted previously)
- Some students did not only posts incredible summarized comments, but also added great additions from their own background knowledge about the subject.
- Students also added facts to the chat that had been previously mentioned in their classroom, but had not been repeated during the live conversation.
- Students started using the backchannel to ask questions.
It was extremely important to go over the chat log with the students. I read it allowed without mentioning the names of the students. They knew anyway who had written what comment. I reminded them to listen for inappropriate and off-topic comments as well as to take notice of repeated comments. I made sure that I pointed out well written comments and congratulated their authors for contributing to the “collaborative study guide”. I feel that students have a better idea now what we expect of them and what kind of skills they are practicing.We will give them more opportunities to use a backchannel in the classroom.
Update (10/20/09):
Here is an excerpt of a post I wrote to let students’ parents know about our use of backchannel with their elementary age students:
- What is a “backchannel” you ask?
- Backchannel is the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks.
- Backchannels are used more and more in the educational field, during face to face conferences and lectures, as well as virtual conversations. With smartphones and portable computers one can participate and contribute to a conversation, provide documentation and help facilitate by connecting others who are not present.
- How were we going to adapt this concept to our elementary school classroom and students?
- 21st century skills demand that we prepare our children to communicate, collaborate and connect to each other, but also to information. Media and Information literacy are extremely important areas of integration to our current curriculum.
- Using a private chatroom as the platform to practice all the above mentioned skills was to harness the students’ excitement for chatting as a means of communication, review material previously discussed in class and collaboratively compile and organize information.
Update (11/22/09):I received an email from the teacher a few days after we reviewed for the Social Studies test with a backchannel. Mrs. Z wrote:
- I am totally amazed. The kids took their Social Studies test on Friday and I have never seen such good papers! I am convinced the back channeling was a major factor.
Here are a few selected parts of the backchannel. There are in reverse chronological order. I removed the students’ name.Timber was important, so they could build homes and ships
at 2:09 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
they would expor the timber to england
at 2:09 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
why did colonists work so hard they could have just given up
at 2:08 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
new england colonies were an extremely important natural resource
they would seal them with wax
at 2:07 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
they mailed lots of letters
at 2:07 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
it back in english
at 2:07 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
they didn’t use envelopes
at 2:07 PM, 18 Nov 2009 via web
No telephones they did not use onvolopes
Intro Videos
Shift Happens
Did You Know?
Priceless Education
Abbey is Pretty Demanding
Blogging
Why Let Students Blog
Students
Teachers
Wikis
Search Engines
Worthwhile Websites
http://www.learnitin5.com/Archives
Learn it in 5 is a powerful library of how-to videos, produced by technology teachers, for the purpose of helping teachers and students create classroom strategies for today's 21st century's digital classroom. These step-by-step how-to videos walk teachers through Web 2.0 technology, demonstrating how to use Web 2.0 applications like blogs, social networks, podcasts, interactive videos, wikis, slidesharing and much more.
Document Cameras
Smart Response System Demo
Skype
Google Reader & RSS Feeds
**Twitter**
http://classroomtweets.wikispaces.com/Why+Twitter